A Sad Sea Story.

Manawatu Herald, 7 December 1893, Page 2

A Sad Sea Story.

The Government steamer Hinemoa pays occassional visits to the outlying island 1 ?; On hei* last visit to the Antipodes Island, lying far to the south and east of Stewart Island, the officers observed a flagstaff on a low terrace. The Press Association has published an account from which we obtain the following particulars : — A boat was lowered and sent ashore, and then a piteous sight was beheld. Eleven men, some of whom had very little clothing on, were found standing on the rocks, .some with pieces of raw penguin flesh, which they had been eating, in their hands. Their first salutation was " God bless you ! We have been here 80 days." For the whole of that time they had been living ou the raw flesh of mutton birds and penguius, penguin's eggs, roots of the pleurapbyllium plant, and a creeping plant resembling celery. These were the survivors of the barque Spirit of the Dawn on a voyage from Rangoon to Talcahuano, which struck on a reef of rocks during a fog on the 4th September, and quickly sank, carrying down the captain, carpenter, cook, steward, and one seaman who failed to get into the boats in time. Next day the boats reached the island and remained there till the Hinemoa ' rescued them. The survivors say we all kept in good health excepting the Rangoon native boy Hewbert, who suffered in the feet. After a week or two we caught penguins, and in a month we got eggs, too. All were eaten raw. The Hinemoa came in sight on the 30th November. We hoisted our flag, which was seen on board, and a boat was sent ashore and all hands taken on board. The men behaved remarkably well throughout. The apprentice Hewberl was taken to the Dunedin hospital as soon as the Hinemoa arrived. He has lost two toes from his right foot, and a joint is gone from each of the two other toes on the same foot. All the other survivors are in capital health. The place where they landed is about three miles from the Government depot containing provisions, but none of them ever searched the island, or went to the top of Mount Galloway, 1820 ft., from which the depot can be seen. They were so exhausted they could not walk about. Strange to say, though there are a number of goats, sheep and cattle on the island, which is only 3000 acres in extent, none of them were observed by the castaways.